March Outlook 2017

I mean, really, really massive. I could easily spend a sneaky grand on everything coming out this month. If i was allowed to, that is.
There are a lot of big releases that the team at USM have been waiting to get there hands on for a long time. So without further waffle, let’s get into the nitty gritty! As always, don’t forget to leave us your thoughts on this massive month in the comments below!

The Consoles

Nintendo Switch – Friday, 3rd of March

Wow. The Switch is pretty much here. When i first heard about this console, I was so damn excited. I went out and pre-ordered it as soon as I could, and started to pay it off in dribs and drabs. But now, after seeing the release line up and more information on the console, my confidence level has dropped. I want this console to be amazing, but I just can’t justify the cost of it at the moment with the release line up. I would only be getting it for one game. A game I can just as easily buy on my Wii U. Sadly, this will not be a day one pickup for me – Josh Perkins

Where to start? This machine looks amazing and seems to be fun from all reports but you can not launch a machine with 6 titles at launch, especially when most of them are ports of older games. I pre-order a switch straight away when they unveiled the machine properly. However in the last few weeks I have canceled that pre-order. It is just too expensive for me and the accessories are just another hard to swallow point. I love the idea of the machine, I will get one one day, probably later this year but this will only be when they give me a good reason to do so. I pray that this is a success for Nintendo but it has a large hill to climb before it isn’t just another Wii U – Peter Wilkinson

It’s kind of tough to find things to say about the Switch that haven’t already been said by thousands of people. Am I looking forward to owning the console one day? Sure! Am I going to pick this thing up on day 1? Definitely Not. Whatever way you shake it, I can’t justify spending $600+ to play a new Legend of Zelda game, despite how good it may be. – Mathew Perkins

The Games

Horizon: Zero Dawn – Wednesday, 1st of March (PS4)

Pre-Ordered. Paid off. Keen as hell to get my hands on it. Wifey has also been having a look at it and said she is interested in giving it a go, so that’s always a plus in my book – Josh Perkins

Have they confirmed whether you can turn off the voice acting or not yet? This is very important. – Joey Hedrick

I have had the collectors edition pre-ordered since March last year. If you own a PS4 you need to get this game. It has robot Dinosaurs. Is there anything else to say? Please don’t miss this game. – Peter Wilkinson

I was keen, then I wasn’t keen and now I’m gettin all keen again. Horizon Zero Dawn looks like a strong contender for game of the year for many people. I’m excited to sink my teeth into it and see what all the fuss is about. – Mathew Perkins

Flinthook – Wednesday, 1st of March (PC)

We’ve got one of those “Early March” release dates on steam but I’m hoping it does come out this early because this is a busy month and I’m going to be sad if a rad looking platformer with grappling mechanics in it gets missed by the majority of people. – Joey Hedrick

Mirage: Arcane Warfare – Wednesday, 1st of March (PC)

Another case of TBA but this game from the makers of Chivalry has a much more fantastic tilt to it and looks a fair bit more fun because of it. There’s still decapitation though which is great, there’s nothing quite like kicking your victims head around after styling on them. – Joey Hedrick

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Friday, 3rd of March (WiiU, Switch)

As I mentioned earlier, this is the only game in the current Switch lineup that interested me. Considering I can still get it on a console I already own, that’s what I am planning to do – Josh Perkins

I’m still tossing up whether to buy it on Wii-U or wait as well to be honest. There are a few more games to come for the Switch that have my interest but I’m never a first day buyer anyway. A lot of the gameplay footage I’ve seen is a pretty big step away from the more recent Zelda titles which is interesting to me. They’re obviously going for a much more open game where you can “go anywhere” and “do anything” as opposed to locking your progress behind items that allow you to get to new areas. Cautiously optimistic. – Joey Hedrick

If you took the name Zelda from this title it would have passed by without a notice. It is so far behind the times it just isn’t funny. There are clearly better Open World RPG’s launching this month. However, it has the name Zelda attached to it and it is back by one of the best development teams ever. It is such a hard game to talk about for this exact reason. It will single handedly make the Switch launch a success and be talked about for game of the year, but not by me. – Peter Wilkinson

Much like the Nintendo Switch, a lot has been said about Breath of the Wild. The leadup to this game is more like the second coming of christ than a videogame. So much so, that if this game wasn’t a release title, I HIGHLY doubt anyone would even be considering buying a Switch day one. But, to their credit, the game does look good. A Departure from previous gameplay mechanics and styles was 100% needed and yet something I never thought we would ever see. It’s refreshing to see Nintendo admit that one of their most beloved franchises is in need of some new life. This is a game I really WANT to play, but probably won’t until I can pick a Switch up on sale. – Mathew Perkins

1-2-Switch – Friday, 3rd of March (Switch)

A game designed to really highlight and use the Switch’s big selling point of going with you anywhere. I just don’t see myself taking this game and a Switch to a mates party to play. Maybe I’m just too old – Josh Perkins

Amazing mini games that show off just what the Switch can do but will never be used for by any other game. Should have been the game that came with the Switch or bundled with an extra set of Joy-con. Please don’t pay full price for this game. – Peter Wilkinson

This should be packaged in with the Switch. Boo Nintendo. Boo, on, you. – Mathew Perkins

I was lucky enough to get involved with the recent closed Beta for this game. When I first picked it up, I quite quickly made a snap decision that the game wasn’t for me. After playing it a bit longer, I decided it wasn’t that bad. One of the games I plan to pick up, at some point. Probably not day one though – Josh Perkins

This game worries the hell out of me on so many levels and there is not enough space for me to write all my thoughts about it here. It will be buggy as hell at launch, it will not get good reviews and people will be screaming about how bad it is all year. I am going to play 200+ hours of this game in the span of two months and I am going to love it. The fact that this is basically 4 player co-op Far Cry set in a massive map should make you want it. I have fully paid for the game on PS4 and PC. Please at some stage this year give it a chance and try not to listen to the barrage of hate that is going to come this games way on March 7th. – Peter Wilkinson

I’m unsure about this one after I got so burnt on The Division. Fool me once? Shame on you, Ubisoft. Fool me twice? Shame on me. – Mathew Perkins

NieR: Automata – Friday, 10th of March (PS4, PC)

Although I’ve just picked up a PS4 I think I’ll still be getting this on PC. The release hasn’t been announced for it but I’m patient. All of the gameplay footage we’ve seen so far has me really interested, the opera boss with the 3D pseudo bullet hell moveset is a particular highlight in my opinion. – Joey Hedrick

This will be the Platinum game you don’t want to miss. Watch some videos or streams of it if you have not decided to get it at launch but like so many games this month it is definitely worth your attention at some stage. – Peter Wilkinson

Platinum doing what they do best. Fast paced, action packed, skill driven gameplay goodness. Nier is a game I will most certainly be picking up day one. – Mathew Perkins

Danmaku Unlimited 3 – Friday, 10th of March (PC)

Dead Rising 4 – Wednesday, 15th of March (Steam)

Having played about 15 minutes of it at PAX last year I can safely say there are zombies that you can kill with extreme prejudice. What I couldn’t garner from that demo was whether they have realised that what made the first one great was the sense of tension and the fact that you had to play smart to see the true ending. Only time will tell. – Joey Hedrick

Timespinner – Thursday, 16th of March (PC)

A Kickstarter project that looks to be coming to fruition, playing on nostalgia to an extent but looks to be adding something new to the Castlevania gameplay with time based powers. Symphony of the Night is one of my favourite games of all time and this nails the atmosphere and music at the very least. – Joey Hedrick

Mass Effect: Andromeda – Thursday, 23rd of March (PS4, XBone, PC)

This is my big one for March guys. I am so damn keen for a new Mass Effect game. SO DAMN KEEN! – Josh Perkins

I am skipping this title as I just don’t have time and I am just not a Bioware fan. The fans of the series will blindly love this and it will be their game of the year. The rest of us will be left wondering what all the fuss was about. – Peter Wilkinson

HOW MANY GAMES ARE COMING OUT IN MARCH?! Fuck my life, it feels like you could take the games coming out in March and play them for the rest of the year quite easily. This is another game that has me intrigued. EA and Bioware have been eerily quiet in the leadup to launch, which has me feeling pent, yet hopeful. – Mathew Perkins

Rainworld – Friday, 24th of March (PS4, PC)

I think I’ve added this to previous outlooks but Cat-Slug is still on the cards, just waiting for this surreal platformer to come to life. Adult Swim have taken on the game with their publishing arm and I’ve gotta say they have a pretty damn good eye for this sort of thing which redoubles my confidence in the title. – Joey Hedrick

Toukiden 2 – Friday, 24th of March (PS4, PC)

Koei Tecmo have something of a spotty history with PC ports but they’re never unplayable. We do need more monster hunting games on PC anyway so I welcome the addition with open arms. – Joey Hedrick

Toukiden Kiwami was a game I was quite fond of when it was released on the PS4. A Monster Hunter clone available on the big boy/girl consoles. Toukiden 2 is a game I would LOVE to sink my teeth into. Just another 80 hour game coming out in March. – Mathew Perkins

STRAFE – Wednesday, 29th

I know I’ve written about this one before. Old school shooter, new school gore physics and a good sense of humour. Count me in. – Joey Hedrick

Joey got me excited for this game. Count me in x2 – Mathew Perkins

The Movies

Logan – Thursday, 2nd of March

Now I’ll agree that some of the Wolverine movies have been awesome, and sadly some of them have been remarkably horrible. But this movie does look amazing. I’m actually a little bit sad to see Hugh Jackman leave this role. He has been Wolverine for 19 Years – almost as long as I have been reading about Wolverine! The wife and I will be seeing this at the movies, for sure – Josh Perkins

Well I lost interest in the wolverine movies a long time ago but with. People describing this as an x-men “the last of us” and it having an R rating I can say that I may just have to watch this one – Peter Wilkinson

Kong: Skull Island – Thursday, 9th of March

I am pretty excited about this. I understand it will probably be terrible and just so silly, but I will be going in just to enjoy myself. The effects look pretty cool from the trailers and the idea seems solid but something makes me think it will end up being a bit crazy. – Peter Wilkinson

I fucking love Kaiju movies and the current renaissance is welcomes with an open heart. – Mathew Perkins

Power Rangers – Thursday, 23rd of March

My thoughts on this movie have been constantly swinging between considering it a travesty and being a movie I really want to watch. I’m currently still on the watch side of the swing, so will try and go see this. – Josh Perkins

I am so not keen for this but that is probably because this wasn’t my generation. I hope that it si good for all the fans out there but I will be skipping this one. – Peter Wilkinson

Ghost in the Shell – Thursday, 30th of March

Cautiously optimistic, I’m hoping they don’t change the story too much but it does look to have some differences. They’ve still got a lot of the key visual moments in the promo material though. – Joey Hedrick

Cautiously optimistic, indeed. – Mathew Perkins

The TV Shows

Iron Fist – Friday, 17th of March (Netflix)

I know we don’t usually mention TV Shows in this, but I felt like I just needed to point out this one. I am so damn excited to see this show, and the inevitable build up to The Defenders. Netflix have done amazing things with the previous shows leading up to this (Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage) and I can only imagine that this will be the icing on the cake – Josh Perkins

Well I think it is time for me to get Netflix again. Enjoyed the other shows in the defenders series so I think this will be right up my ally. – Peter Wilkinson

About The Author

A self-proclaimed casual gamer, nerd and collectibles hoarder, Josh lives with his wife and three kids (read: two dogs and a cat). He can generally be found in his natural habitat of Playstation, but is known to frequent Steam, Xbox and Nintendo as well.